The politics of abortion
IS IT okay for Christians to have challenging conversations and questions? Is it alright for people of religious faith to have different perspectives on subjects such as abortion? Why are some Christians able to apply reason to life’s difficult questions?
When we operate from the space and position of religious dicta and doctrine, it is never easy to take a dialogical approach to matters of faith. Resorting to seeing the world in black or white and right or wrong terms is often easier than the time and mental effort that it takes to do reasoned and more nuanced discourse.
The difficult subject of abortion is an example of what makes for a challenging discussion when one has been socialised to being closed to the necessary conversations that health practitioners have sought to engage in with politicians and religious leaders. It is a tough truth that the Bible does not speak to the subject, abortion. However, many conveniently abuse such biblical texts as those where prophets interpret their call from God as being from the womb; or where the psalmist speaks of being knit together by God in the womb.
These texts are not prescriptive. They do not seek to make a statement on abortion one way or the other.
A popular go-to in shutting down the conversation around a pro-choice position, is the use of the word ‘baby’ in reference to the foetus, and even the zygote. How interesting that in the Bible, the life of the foetus is not accorded the same value as that of the pregnant woman. Hence, we see in Exodus 21:22-25, “When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage and yet no further harm follows, the one responsible shall be fined what the woman’s husband demands, paying as much as the judges determine. If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
The conversation around prochoice provisions (which is not the same as being pro-abortion) would be more helpful if more nuanced. Many Christians have been led to believe that they are being anti-God if they have a rational discussion about abortion. Jeremiah 1:5 has been weaponised in support of a so-called pro-life position. However, this misused text has absolutely nothing to do with abortion!
Pregnancy deaths, maternal mortality, avoidance of prenatal care, burden on the poor, burden on coloured people are all consequences of stigma associated with abortion. It is okay for Christians to be aware of the fact that anti-abortion legislation does not stop abortions. It just leads to illegal abortions!
More people of religious faith should know that it is poor women who have illegal abortions and are prone to sepsis. In Jamaica, if you are a woman of means, you can easily get a ‘termination of pregnancy’ done due to blah, blah, blah.
In the United Staes of America, even Republicans are waking up to the truth that anti-abortion legislation would cause many ills upon the freedom of women. Many are also realizing that many vociferous Evangelicals serve the narrative, while seeing the value of having the sexual and reproductive rights of women protected.
If you go to the Bible on the subject, you may end up with lots of conflicting interpretations. Let us be human. Let us be kind. Let us avoid arrogance and the pride of doctrine above the freedom of women.
Then, there is the pastor who condemns women who have abortions, even though he is paying for one to be done by the 13-year-old girl that he got pregnant.
What we need is not more loud shouting from the pulpit, but more empathy and compassion from the heart. Blessings of peace to everyone in the various challenges of life.
Fr Sean Major-Campbell is an Anglican priest and advocate for human dignity and human rights. Send feedback to seanmajorcampbell@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.